Oklahoma House passes 72-hour abortion wait time legislation

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma House has passed legislation that would make Oklahoma the fourth state in the nation to require women to wait at least 72 hours before receiving an abortion.

House members voted 75-3 Thursday for the bill by Republican Rep. Lisa Billy of Lindsay and sent it to Gov. Mary Fallin's desk to be signed into law.

Under current law, a doctor is required to provide a patient with numerous details at least 24 hours before the procedure, including the age of the fetus, risks involved and that ultrasound and heart tone monitoring are available.

The New York-based Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit group that supports access to legal abortion, says only three other states currently have 72-hour waiting periods: Missouri, South Dakota and Utah.